


Did You Say...

by Whedonista93



Series: Red & Gold [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe, Family Reunions, Family Secrets, Fem!Charlie Weasley, Gen, Pepper Potts is Gideon Prewett's Daughter, Pre-Canon, Rule 63
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 00:18:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17415350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whedonista93/pseuds/Whedonista93
Summary: The woman is maybe a year or two younger than her, with pale skin  and freckles and hair a few shades lighter than Charlie’s own. And the eyes of an American girlfriend Uncle Gideon had brought home before the war got too bad. Charlie smiles, a bit sadly. “I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say we’re cousins. You’ve got Uncle Gideon’s nose, you poor thing.”





	Did You Say...

**Author's Note:**

> So, pre-canon for Iron Man, and basically moving HP into a timeline that coincides with Iron Man.  
> Fem!Charlie because I've always though it was a shame that Ginny was the only Weasley girl, but there's enough of an age difference between Charlie and Ginny that Ginny not being the only girl wouldn't actually change her personality, because she'd grow up in the same environment whether Charlie was a big brother or a big sister - she'd just have a more understanding ear to vent to.

A low voice draws Charlie’s attention to the alley. She’s already late to the pub, so a brief detour won’t make much difference, and her curiosity has always gotten the better of her. Curiosity turns to rage when she sees three wizards from the reservation with a young woman backed against the alley wall. The insults they’re flinging at her, _mudblood_ included, flare Charlie’s temper further. The woman, to her credit, is holding her head high.

Charlie draws her wand and steps up behind the wizards silently. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you prats to pick on someone your own size?”

The wizards spin on her and stuns and body binds them with a few quick flicks of her wand. She eyes the backpack near the other woman’s feet. “Any chance you have a marker in there?”

The woman crouches and digs through the bag before wordlessly handing over a Sharpie.

Charlie grins. “Magic is a wonderful thing, but muggles are bloody brilliant. Permanent markers…” she shake her head and uncaps it, scrawling messages across the arms of the unconscious wizards’ arms and adding a sticking charm to the ink for good measure. They'll have fun explaining _that_ to their superiors in the morning. She hands the marker back to woman and then straightens and holsters her wand before offering her hand. “Charlene Weasley, but if you’ve any sense of self preservation, call me Charlie.”

The woman smiles shakily, but grips Charlie’s hand firmly. “Vivianna Prewett.”

Surprise flits across both their faces.

“Did you say Prewett?” Charlie asks at the same moment Vivianna asks, “Did you say Weasley?”

Charlie grabs the woman’s arms and yanks her into the light of the lamps lining the street. The woman is maybe a year or two younger than her, with pale skin  and freckles and hair a few shades lighter than Charlie’s own. And the eyes of an American girlfriend Uncle Gideon had brought home before the war got too bad. Charlie smiles, a bit sadly. “I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say we’re cousins. You’ve got Uncle Gideon’s nose, you poor thing.”

The last comment has the desired effect - Vivianna lets out a startled laugh and visibly shakes off the last of her shock. “Can I buy you a drink?” She gestures back toward the wizards in the alley. “As a thank you.”

Charlie links their warms and tugs the other woman down the street. “My kind of woman. I was heading to the pub anyway.”

Neither of the women is a light weight by any means, but they’re both well and truly sloshed by time they stumble into Charlie’s little cottage on the edge of the reservation. They both pass out almost immediately and Charlie isn’t aware of anything until Vivianna screaming jolts her into consciousness. Charlie scrabbles madly for her wand, tossed somewhere along with her boots when they’d stumbled in the night before. She finally finds her wand and shoves to her feet, trying to ignore her swimming vision. When her vision focuses, Vivianna is plastered flat against the wall farthest from the front door, and a speckled black and gray dragon’s head is taking up the majority of said door.

Charlie groans and tosses her wand on the bed before going over to the door and shoving at the dragon’s snout. “Paprika, you _prat_. Scaring guests isn’t very nice.”

The dragon huffs, filling the small house with smoke, but obligingly removes his head from the doorway.

Charlie turns toward Vivianna. “Sorry. Very few of my dragons are well socialized.”

“Dragons,” Vivianna mutters like a curse, sliding down the wall until she’s sitting.

Charlie nods. “Did I not mention that’s what I do here? Work with dragons?”

Vivianna nods slowly. “You might have mentioned it last night. But honestly, I had forgotten I was even in Romania. I can’t remember the last time I got that drunk.”

Charlie chuckles and goes to dig a hangover potion out of the kitchen cabinet. She takes a swig and passes the bottle. “It tastes as horrific as ever, but it’s better than the splitting headache.”

Vivianna takes the bottle gratefully. She grimaces at the taste before passing the bottle back. “I’m not keeping you from anything, am I?”

Charlie shakes her head. “Nothing that can’t hold. What kind of timetable are you on?”

Vivianna shrugs. “None, really. I’ve got an interview in New York in a few weeks, but until then, I was just going to keep backpacking through Europe.”

“Mum’d love to meet you. She… well, she really doesn’t have anything left of her brothers. To even know you exist…”

Vivianna smiles. “I’d love to.”

Charlie smiles broadly. “Lemme grab a bag. Not much point in showering. We’ll just be a mess again when we get there, but there should be a spare toothbrush on the vanity.”

“Is your family still in England? I remember my mother saying something about that.”

Charlie nods. “Outside London a bit.”

“How are we going to get there? I don’t have a Portkey.”

Charlie grins. “I have dragons.”

Vivianna blanches.

Charlie’s grin grows. “We’ll take the prat who tried to scare you half to death. I promise he’s a gentle beast most of the time.”

 

* * *

 

“Mum,” Charlie calls as she leaps down from Paprika’s back, turning to help Vivianna down as well, “I’ve brought one of your grandchildren to visit!”

“If one of your dragons tears up my garden again,” Molly growls threateningly as she bustles out the back door, the smile on her face belying her tone.

Charlie grins. “He’ll behave himself. _But_ ,” she drawls dramatically, "since you’ve obviously got no love for your grandchildren, how do you feel about a niece?”

“Charlene Fabienne Weasley! Your dragons are _not_ my gr- did you say niece?”

Two weeks and many, many tears and almost as many extracted promises to visit later, Charlie is dropping Vivianna off at the airport.

Vivianna looks nervous.

Charlie claps her on the shoulder. “You’re not worried about the interview, are you? You’ll get the job.”

“I am, but… it’s not that right now.”

“Well, what is it then?”

“I want you to be able to get ahold of me. And most of my life exists outside of the magical community.”

Charlie shrugs. “I’m not as technologically illiterate as most. I can e-mail and use a phone.”

Vivianna cracks a tired smile. “It’s not just that… I, well, I use a different name outside of the magical community. My mom’s a squib, and with the war… she wanted to protect me.”

Charlie nods, understanding. “You don’t have to tell me.”

“I want to. I just… can you keep it to yourself? Kind of play go-between for me and your family?”

Charlie nods immediately. “Absolutely.”

Vivianna smiles and holds out her hand, like Charlie had when they first met. “Virginia Potts. My friends call me Pepper.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Charlie names many of her dragons after kitchen spices - the black and white dragon in this fic is called Paprika, and she has a red dragon she calls Pepper (she chooses not to mention that right away when her dear, newly found cousin introduces herself as Pepper).


End file.
